Is there a good way to play the original 1997 Age of Empires?

I know there's the definitive editions, but I don't think it makes sense to pay $20 for a 25 year old game just for the better graphics when I prefer the simplicity of the old graphics.

Any download I've found just doesn't work on newer graphics drivers. It's sad to think this game may just be dead and unplayable forever now, lost to time.

Open source clones are appreciated too. I've heard of openage, but I don't think that one's finished yet, right?